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badbadwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Slavery, Child death, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Medical content, Xenophobia, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and War
misterwisp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The pace stays fast and engaging. The main character's revenge quest continues and he also gets wrapped up in bigger picture events of the rebellion that took place at the end of the first book.
The world gets some interesting new background lore that was compelling.
In a pivotal part of the story, the point of view changes to a side character which added depth and perspective to the actions of the main character in a worthwhile moment. The characters continue to be written well even if the main one gets most of the page time. The book is more about the action than the characters but it all works.
The ending is satisfying on it's own, while at the same time setting up what promises to be an even more intense book 3. There are some interesting threads set up here with great potential to develop in the next book. A great heroic fantasy series so far.
Graphic: War, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
maelikesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
For example, Jabari’s storyline and relationship with Tau was a high point for me, and yet it still felt rushed and a little under-explored.
There is a distinctive tonal shift (I’m not really sure if tonal is the right word here) from the first book, specifically when it comes to violence. While the first book did focus a lot on combat and violence and didn’t shy away from showing messed up things (Lekan’s action at the start for example), Book 2 feels like it’s jumping into the grimdark deep end. I don’t think this is a problem, and it never feels gratuitous - but it did feel more brutal than I was expecting going into it.
Overall, this book feels like it’s doing a lot of setting up for the next installations. And while it’s not the most polished approach, it remains damn entertaining every step of the way. If this is what middle book syndrome feels like for this series, I can’t imagine how much fun the final book will be!
Graphic: Suicide, War, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, Body horror, Genocide, and Torture
Minor: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
noraa's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Colonisation, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit
daniellestarredpages's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, and Grief
Minor: Medical content